The Young Thief Who Was Surprised by a Carpenter's Grace

Mark Ellis : Mar 31, 2014
God Reports

But Ernie kept the key he came to cherish on a string, hanging from his mirror, as a reminder of someone who had trusted him and given him a second chance.

When a young man tried to steal tools from a neighbor's shed in a suburb of Detroit one night, he had no idea his foiled attempt would teach him a life-long lesson about the mercies and grace of God. (Pete Capone holding his grandson-Photo via God Reports)

"We had a storage shed that was attached to our house," says Mike Capone. "My dad used to keep his tools in there."

Mike's father, Pete Capone, was a carpenter, and also a lay minister in his church.

One night, Ernie—a teenager who lived next door—shimmied the lock, broke into the shed, and was in the process of stealing some of the tools.
Pete was awake and heard a suspicious noise, so he went outside to investigate. He surprised the young man and suddenly they were face-to-face. Immediately, Pete recognized Ernie, his neighbor's son.

The boy froze, a look of terror flashed through his eyes.

"Ernie, you don't have to break into here if you need to use the tools," Pete said gently. Then the older man did something very unusual, son Mike recalls…

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